Sweden to import trash for energy production

Billions of kronor are being spent on the construction and expansion of waste burning plants for energy production, even though Sweden may have to import trash to fuel these facilities for decades to come.

According to the latest forecast from the organisation Swedish Waste Management, Sweden will need to import about 1.6 million tons of trash. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is against expanding this energy source in the long-term.

The aim should be to produce less waste and recycle more, Catarina Östlund from the Swedish EPA told Swedish Radio.

However, the EPA and Swedish Waste Management agree that in the short term it is better to import waste - even long distances - for fuel than to let it sit in garbage dumps, which is how many countries still dispose of their trash.

There are about 30 energy plants processing about 5.5 million tons of household waste each year in Sweden.